Collide, Ignite

It was three and a half hours later that Reilly and Harry made it back to the two bedroom hotel suite they were sharing while they were in Boston. Though Reilly had told Harry that she was more than happy to pay for her own, single room, he'd insisted that the suite they could share, with a living space and kitchen, was absolutely necessary. So far they'd spent very little time in it, as they had been with Maisie every day.

The kitchen had been mainly used by Harry to make tea, which was exactly where he headed as soon as they were inside. He asked Reilly if she wanted any, but she declined walked straight to her room, citing her exhaustion on the way.

The suite also had two bathrooms. One was in the bedroom Reilly was staying in, and the other was in the common area. She changed quickly into pajamas and then went into the bathroom to wash her face. Just as she stepped back into the bedroom there was a knock on the door. She ignored it, figuring Harry would leave her alone if she didn't answer, and climbed onto the bed. There was another knock. She huffed but still ignored it.

When the third knock came she was sufficiently irritated. "Harry, I told you I'm really tired and I don't want any tea," she yelled, not even attempting to be polite. He didn't say anything. The only response she got was another impatient knock. Finally she got out of bed and stomped angrily to the door. "Oh my god, Harry, I-" Her mouth snapped shut as soon as she pulled the door open. "You're not Harry," she said dumbly.

"Definitely not," he replied. She stared at him for a full thirty seconds before he spoke again. "I heard you say you're tired, Darlin'. I can go back to my room if you prefer," he said finally.

Inexplicably, tears started to seep out of Reilly's tired eyes. She pushed her arms around Niall's waist and hugged him like her life depended on it. "Don't you dare," she mumbled, followed closely by a hiccup. His arms circled around her shoulders and he kissed the side of her head. "Don't you dare," she said again.

She felt the chuckle vibrate through his chest and he held her tighter to him. They stood there for a long time, Reilly listening to calming rhythm of his breathing, in and out and in again, feeling the pulse in his neck where her face was buried. He kissed the side of her head.

"Hey," he said softly . She breathed in deeply, taking in the clean scent of his skin. "Hey, he said again when she didn't respond. "Look at me." It took almost a full minute but she let her arms go slack and took a step back, keeping her hands on him. His arms loosened as she moved and he slid his hands from her back up to her face, gently stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. She looked absolutely exhausted, just as she'd claimed when he'd been knocking on the door. "I'm here. I missed you so much I thought I was goin' to explode. I'm not goin' anywhere," he said. His hands dropped from her face as Reilly leaned up on her tiptoes and barely touched her lips to his before lowering herself back down on her heels. "I promise," he assured her.

She nodded but kept her eyes cast downward, like she was trying to hide something from him. Niall carefully tipped her chin upward and leaned down to kiss her. His lips had barely brushed against hers when she broke away from him. He looked at her quizzically as she began to gather her clothes.

"Let me just get dressed really quick. I want to take you somewhere," she said. There was something almost frantic in her voice. "There's something I want to show you," she told him.

"Thought you were tired?" he reminded her. Reilly motioned for him to close the door. At first he just studied her, trying to figure out her sudden change in demeanor. She motioned at him again and he kicked it gently so it swung shut behind him, but kept his eyes trained on her. "Darlin'?" he asked when she removed her pajama top and slipped on her bra.

She shrugged and shook her head at the same time, contradicting the words that came out of her mouth next. "I am," she said. "But there's somewhere I want really want to show you." She pulled a shirt over her head. "I know you've been here, in Boston, before and you have family here and all that so it's not like I need to show you around like it's new to you or anything." She kicked off her pajama pants and slid one leg into a pair of jeans. "But you've never been here with me. And there's things I want to show you." She grabbed a light sweater once her jeans and shoes were on and stepped past him, reaching for the door. "Ready?" she asked.

He caught her arm at the elbow and gently pulled her a step back. "Slow down for just a minute, Darlin'," he said. "There's nothing you can show me tonight that won't still be there in the morning. You look knackered."

"I'm fine," she argued, despite having just said she was tired, and she caught herself. "I mean, I am tired. I just told you that. But I'm fine. I just want to take you somewhere," she repeated. She seemed to growing more frantic with each word that came out of her mouth.

Niall shook his head as he pulled Reilly to him. She was shaking slightly. He hugged her tightly. "Don't know what's goin' on with you right now but I want you to know it's alright. Whatever has you scared is not bigger than you," he assured her.

She breathed out a sigh and let the weight of her body rest against his. His hand glided up and down her back as he soothingly repeated that it was alright. Finally she nodded and held her own weight. "Will you go for a walk with me? I need some air," she told him.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. He took hold of her hand and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. "Would love to take a walk with you, Darlin'." With his free hand he reached for the door and pulled it open.

Harry had already retreated to his room so the living space was empty and they moved silently through it and to the door of the suite that led into the hotel's hallway. Neither said anything in the elevator or as they walked through the hotel lobby, but once they were outside Reilly breathed out what sounded like a sigh of relief and then sucked in the night air. Niall's thumb rubbed the back of her hand and she looked up at him, eyes tired but finally hinting at a smile. And in that moment he couldn't help himself and leaned over for a kiss, to which Reilly finally, properly reciprocated.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out when they resumed walking.

Niall shook his head and gave her hand a squeeze. "You've got nothin' to apologize for," he said.

"I was overwhelmed," she explained. "Between being tired, and worried about Maisie, and then the surprise of seeing you standing in front of me when I thought you were a few thousand miles away. I couldn't think straight. I've told you. I've told all of you. I hate surprises," she rambled.

"Reilly, it's alright," Niall stopped walking abruptly. He dropped her hand and brought both of his to her shoulders and slid them down to her elbows and then up to her shoulders again. "You don't have to apologize. Really. I'm sorry I made you feel that way," he said to her, but she quickly objected to his statement.

"No, Niall. I didn't mean you-"

He chuckled and cut her off. "I know, Darlin'. But I did do it. I should have told you I was comin', instead of just showin' up out of nowhere. Thought maybe you'd like a good kind of surprise like that," he said.

She nodded, sucking in her bottom lip and then biting down on it. "I want to like good surprises. I'm working on it."

"You're doing great at all the things you're workin' on," Niall assured her, dropping his hand from her arm and wrapping his hand around hers once more. "Don't be hard on yourself. You're doing great."

"Doesn't always feel like it," she said quietly.

A tiny smile pulled at the corners of Niall's mouth and he looked up at the sky for just a minute. "Tell me about your day today. You said you and Harry and the little one had a full day planned. What'd you do?" he asked.

And just like that, everything shifted. Reilly walked hand in hand with Niall and talked about the day she'd spend with her sister, how the little girl talked nonstop about the animals at the zoo and dragged Harry around the playground and the smile Maisie had on her face in the morning when they had gone to pick her up, and the hint of it that remained when she fell asleep before they'd left to go back to the hotel. She talked about the hugs and the excitement and how great it was to spend time with Maisie again.

And then she spoke about Harry, and how great he'd been the whole trip, not that he was ever anything but great. To Reilly, to Maisie, to everyone he came in contact with. That he'd not complained once about some of the ridiculous things Maisie would ask him to do, including joining in when the girls practiced dancing. Sure, he was big and clumsy, but he was always ready for whatever, and he did it with a smile on his face.

Even though a smile had stretched across Reilly's face as she talked to Niall about the day, about the enitre trip so far, she seemed to be leaving something out. Niall tried to chalk it up to her being tired, but there was something nagging at him that it was more than that. And the next thing either of them knew, Reilly was letting them back into the suite and she seemed to be growing more hesitant with each step through the living area.

Niall stopped just outside the bedroom door. "You want me to stay?" he asked.

Reilly gave him a quizzical look. "Do you want to stay?" she inquired.

He breathed out through his nose and pushed Reilly's hair back, tucking it behind her ear. "Course I do," he assured her. "Just need to know if you want me here."

"Of course I want you here," she told him. But for some reason, she wasn't able to meet his eye.

"But?" he asked, unable to ignore her hesitation. She finally looked up at him. "It's okay if you want me to go back to my room. I won't be mad or upset or even disappointed," he promised.

She slowly moved her head from side to side. "I want you to stay. It's just," she paused, her hesitation greater than ever. "I don't sleep well when I'm here. In Boston," she finally confessed.

Niall's eyebrows pulled together. "That's why you're so tired. 'Cause you can't sleep?" he asked and she nodded slowly. "Have you told Harry? You know he would've come and slept with you."

Reilly nodded again. "I know," she said just above a whisper. Suddenly her voice was failing her. She cleared her throat. "I get really restless. Toss and turn a lot. I didn't want to keep him up," she said.

"But you got no problem keepin' me awake all night?" he asked.

It was meant as a joke, and Reilly knew it by the smile that played at his lips as he spoke, but tears were stinging her eyes anyway. "I," she started, but the words that were meant to follow cut off. "You can go back to your room if you want." Her tone was deflated, and she looked defeated.

"Nuh uh," Niall said as he gathered her into his arms. He kissed the side of her head. "Would rather be woken up a hundred times next to you than spend another night sleeping away from you," he said softly into her ear. Her arms circled his waist and she sniffled. "I love you so much, Reilly Quinn Payne. And if the nights are Hell, I'll lay right beside you and go through it with you. We're in this together. Every step of the way."

And it was Hell. She turned, and she cried, and she thrashed about for hours. But true to his word, Niall stayed beside her, reaching over each time he woke up to an elbow in his side, or a palm connecting with his chest, or just the sounds of Reilly's sobs, to remind her that he was there. And finally, in the wee hours of the morning, when her fingers were gripping his leg so tightly that her nails might break the skin, he pulled her, fighting against something he couldn't see, and held her to his chest. He stroked her hair until she calmed down, and he kissed her forehead, and mumbled soothingly to her until her eyes closed. He didn't let go as she finally managed to sleep for a record three and a half hours.

He was beaming at her when she opened her eyes and she had no idea if he'd simply woken up before her or if he'd been awake the whole time. But either way, tears flooded her eyes upon meeting his. He swiftly wiped them away with the pad of this thumb.

"Mornin'," he said softly. There was a slight hoarseness to his voice from not being used. "Sleep okay?" he asked. She barely nodded before she started to trace shapes on his bare chest with her fingers. Another tear slipped from her eye and fell onto his skin. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he reminded her. He sounded tired and Reilly concluded that he must have stayed awake while she slept.

"I love you," she repeated back to him and kissed his shoulder softly. "And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Niall asked. "Having nightmares? That's not something you have any control over." She breathed out hard through her nose. "What're they about?"

Reilly drew in a breath and then released it. "I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly.

Niall nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. "Will you ever?" he wondered out loud. His tone was one of sheer curiosity, the most innocent inquiry.

"Some day," she promised. She slid her hand across his chest and up to his face, turning it so she could kiss his lips. "And thank you," she said and kissed his lips again. "For staying." She kissed him again. "And being wonderful." She kissed him once more.

"Always," he said, shifting both of them so he could pull her closer to him as their lips met once more.

But this time he didn't let it end so quickly. He was enjoying the feel of her against him too much to keep it so brief. He sucked gently on her lip and then nibbled at it, eliciting a soft sigh. He kept himself propped up but slid one leg in between hers as their slow kisses became more heated. But then it seemed to startle her when his fingers barely brushed against her side and she pulled back.

"Niall, I," she began, and then cleared her throat. He planted his hand firmly on the bed and raised himself up. She looked at him and his eyes were a mixture of adoration and concern. "I," she said again, pausing to clear her throat a second time. "I don't," she went on, obviously nervous about what she was going to say next. She drew in a breath and lifted her shoulders in a high shrug. "Want to have sex right now," she finished slowly, like she was trying to carefully gauge his reaction.

Realization flooded his face. "No?" he asked. She slowly moved her head back and forth. Niall gave a slight nod. "'S alright," he said, slipping his leg out from between hers. He lowered himself on the bed next to her and rolling onto his back, his arm bent across his stomach. "Was poor judgement on my part anyway," he offered.

But Reilly quickly shook her head. "No. You did nothing wrong." She kissed his shoulder. "Will you still hold me?" she asked. The corners of his lips tugged upward and he lifted his arm so she could curl against his side, and then brought his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "You should sleep," she suggested, and he nodded. His eyelids were heavy as it was, and he kissed her forehead again as he let them fall shut.

He had no idea how long he slept, but when he woke it was to Reilly coming into the room with a steaming mug in her hand. He offered her a sleepy smile as she climbed up on the bed next to him. She was dressed in simple black skinny jeans and a loose fitting white tshirt, and still she managed to be the most beautiful person Niall had ever laid eyes on. He pushed himself up into a seated position and leaned back against the headboard. Reilly stretched one of her legs across both of his and held the mug out to him.

"Smells like coffee," he said as he brought the mug to his lips. "Tastes like coffee." He took another sip.

"I thought you might want something a little stronger than tea after what I put you through last night," she said.

He smiled at her and let his hand rest on the outside of her thigh. "You're incredible, you know that?" he said, taking another drink of dark, hot liquid. Reilly's cheeks tinted pink and she dipped her head, letting her hair fall down to curtain her face. Niall let out a small laugh and leaned over in search of her lips. He found them easily and caught them with him. "You know we're good, right?" he asked and she nodded. He kissed her again. "Love you loads." She nodded again and he leaned back against the headboard, but kept his eyes on her. "I don't want you to ever feel like you can't tell me no, alright? Promise you right now I'll listen every time."

She nodded and slipped her arms loosely around his neck. "I love you," she said, resting her forehead against the side of his head. "Sometimes my head still spins when I think about us actually being together," she admitted.

"Mine, too, Darlin'," Niall said. He took another drink of the coffee and then offered it to Reilly. She took the mug from him and brought it to her lips. "Is there any food out there? 'M starvin'," he said. Reilly shook her head.

"Course not," he grumbled. "Listen, I'm going to have a quick shower and then maybe the three of us can go pick up the little one and get somethin' to eat, how's that sound?" It sounded like a fine idea to Reilly because she was hungry despite having shared a bagel with Harry after Niall had fallen back asleep. She nodded and moved her leg off Niall's so he could get up. "Care to join me?" he asked, nodding toward the bathroom.

"You said a quick shower, so you're on your own," she told him.

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her. "Didn't mean to imply anything other than I enjoy your company," he told her as he got out of the bed and went into the bathroom, letting the door swing shut behind him.

Reilly took a minute to finish Niall's coffee and then headed back out into the living area. She walked into the kitchen and washed the mug and then joined Harry on the sofa. He playfully kicked at her feet and she told him the plan to go get food when Niall was finished in the shower.

Harry reached up and rubbed two fingers against his face. "I have somewhere to be, actually," he told her. "It's just going to be you and Niall with Maisie today." Reilly's eyebrows pulled together, asking where he was going without using any words. "I'm meeting Lexie's mum for lunch."

Reilly turned so her body was angled toward him. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have gone with you," she said.

"No, I know. And once Lexie gets here in a few days the three, or four if Niall with wants to come as well, of us are going to get together with her. It's just there's something I wanted to speak with Lexie's mum about with just the two of us," he explained.

It barely took a second for Reilly to form a conclusion, and her eyes nearly flew out of her head. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. A smiled pulled across Harry's face. "Oh my god!" she said again. "Are you going ask permission to propose?" she asked. Harry's smile grew and he nodded. "Oh my god!" Reilly yelled again and launched herself at Harry, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "This is great. I'm so excited for you."

Harry's long arms wrapped around Reilly and he gave her a squeeze. "Thank you, Reilly," he said. "I was a bit worried you would think it's too soon."

"What?" She leaned back and slid her hands to Harry's shoulders so she could look at him. "No way! I mean, okay, yeah, you two haven't been actually together for that long, I suppose, but you were in the whole 'might as well be' situation for how long?"

"That was going to be exactly the point I was going to make to you if you weren't happy about it. Should've known that you would be on the same page as me, though. Just wondering how her mum is going to react," he said. "And her. I mean, you know her better than anyone. Do you think she'll say yes?" he asked. He was beginning to sound slightly nervous.

Reilly put one hand on Harry's face and smiled. "I think Lexie is very much in love with you," she told him.

"Ah, but do you think she'll say yes?" he repeated, and Reilly couldn't help but laugh as her hand fell from his face. In turn, Harry laughed also. "Well it's two different things, you know? You can be very much in love with someone but maybe not ready to be married to them. Marriage is a much bigger commitment than just being in a relationship with someone."

He paused for a moment and reached up to rub his face again. "We've discussed it, of course. But it's always in the future. And I don't think I want to wait that long, necessarily. She and I did the waiting thing for a long time and it wasn't that great, you know?" Reilly nodded. Because if there was anyone who knew, it was her. "It doesn't have to be right away. We can be engaged for awhile before we're actually married. I just," he lifted his hands and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think I should ask if you think she'll say no."

"She'll say yes," Reilly said confidently. Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Her mom is going to be thrilled, and Lexie is going to say yes. She'd be crazy not to." Harry still didn't look entirely convinced so Reilly placed a hand on either side of his face and pushed his cheeks together. "What is it you're always telling me? Stop overthinking it. If it feels right, then go for it."

Despite her hands squishing his face, Harry laughed. "Alright, you're right," he said. Reilly dropped her hands from his face and he reached up to massage his cheeks. "Or I'm right, I suppose." He tried to block a playful hit from Reilly but she got him in the chest before his reflexes fully kicked in. "But you know what? I'm happy we had this chat, Reilly."

"Me too," Reilly agreed.

It wasn't long before Niall emerged from the bedroom dressed and ready to leave. Reilly followed him out of the hotel suite and vaguely filled him in on why Harry wasn't joining them, telling him only that Harry had other lunch plans. After all, it wasn't her news to share with anyone, and if Harry wanted more people to know he would tell them.

They weren't staying far from Zachary's apartment and it only took about ten minutes in the car to get there. Reilly didn't bother knocking when they got to his door and instead let herself in. Her step brother was in the kitchen and waved to her when she came into view, with Niall close behind her.

Two words had barely come out of his mouth when Maisie came tearing down the hallway, her face bright as a Christmas tree. "Niall!" she screeched, dragging out his name as she sped right past Reilly and launched herself into Niall's open arms. He caught her easily and she showered his face with kisses and then wrapped her little arms tightly around his neck, hugging him for what seemed like an eternity. "I didn't know you were coming," she said to him.

"Surprise, Little One," he said into her ear.

"The best surprise ever!" she exclaimed.

Niall chuckled at the same time his stomach growled. "Listen, Little One, I'm so hungry. What do you say I take you and Reilly to get something to eat?" he said.

Maisie's face lit up even more than before. "Can we get ice cream after?" she asked, only causing Niall to laugh even more. He looked over at Reilly and she nodded, making both Niall and Maisie's smiles grow to three times the size they already were. "Let's go!" the little girl directed. And they did.

As Reilly drove, she pointed out a few places or things from her childhood, consciously sticking to only happy memories she had. There were things she always forgot about until she saw them, and things she would never be able to forget in a million years. And she found herself thinking, and then saying out loud, that sometimes she really missed home.

But as soon as the words left her mouth another thought went through her mind. She glanced in the rearview mirror at her little sister, and then shifted her eyes to her boyfriend in the passenger seat. Niall caught her glance and reached for her hand. Her skin started tingling on contact, and she smiled. Cliche as it was, it was true. Home is where your heart is.